The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
🔴 Uganda Golf ⛳ Open after 72 holes
✳ JR Akena 🇺🇬 73 73 71 70 | 287| +3
✳ J Cwinyaai 🇺🇬 72 73 73 70 | 288 | +4
✳ T. Okwong 🇺🇬 73 77 68 73 | 291| +7
✳ Semakula 🇺🇬 78 71 75 73 | 297 | +13
✳ Tumusiime 🇺🇬74 74 75 75| 298 | +14
Entebbe, Uganda | LOUIS JADWONG | Teenage prodigy Joseph Reagan Akena on Saturday became one of the youngest ever winners in the 83-year history of the prestigious Uganda Golf Open.
Akena, who turned 19 in April, held his nerve over two days to triumph by a single stroke, at the 83rd edition of the Johnnie Walker Uganda Amateur Golf Open in Entebbe. The Lugazi Hills and Country Club (Formerly Mehta Club) member carded a 3 over par total of 287 over 72 holes.
The pre-tournament favourite Joseph Cwinya-ai had to only sink a half meter putt on hole 18 in the final round to force a play-off, but missed and Akena made him pay for it, with a par 5 score that sent his fans wild in celebrations.
“My target was to make it into the top three, but after day one I got a call from a friend in the US, who said ‘you guy be serious. This thing (trophy) can again go back home to Lugazi’,” he said in his victory speech.
Akena is a Senior 5 student at Juliana High School in Lugazi. He dedicated his victory to his parents, coaches, fellow players, and members at Lugazi Hills and Country Club,
Akena also emphasised that his victory was the fruit of the recent Africa High performance training camp for young golfers hosted at the Uganda Golf Club (UGC) in Kampala. Junior golfers were facilitated by three coaches from the South Africa Professional Golfers Association through the auspices of the International Golf Federation (R&A).
Michael Balderstone (Program manager for the R&A Africa High Performance program and PGA Master Professional), Mpho Kelosi (PGA professional) and Mark Fairbank, a mental coach together with Flavia Namakula (also Uganda national team head coach), handled the intense three-day training residential camp.
The previous youngest winners of the Uganda Open were Birungi ‘Tiger woods’ who was also 19 when he first won it in 1997, and, Ronald Otile who announced his arrival in 2015 by winning the amateur and professional opens at 20.
Defending champion Godfrey Nsubuga, now US based, finished 6th at 301 +17, tied with the best placed foreign entrant Adel Balala.
Last year, Nsubuga led from start to finish, as he secured his first Uganda Open golf title with a record score 275 strokes (13-under-par) at the UGC course at Kitante.
WATCH: Joseph Reagan Akena gives a heartfelt victory speech as he receives his Amateur Open trophy. 🏆🇺🇬🏌🏿♂️#JWUgOpen2024 @JohnnieWalkerUG | 🎥 @Hermanstar662 pic.twitter.com/Kz5DIRbkUU
— Kawowo Sports (@kawowosports) August 31, 2024
Cwinyaai, winner in 2021, was this time frustrated by the par 4 hole 17 (The Akope Challenge) that turned out to be his Waterloo. After matching par in round 1, he then hit double bogey in the next 3 rounds from the same hole, his worst perfomance in four days. (click to read scorecard)
Focus now turns to the Pro-Am event this Tuesday, Septembe 3 ahead of the sh150m professional open that will commence on Wednesday, September 4, and climax on Saturday, September 7, 2024.
The Uganda Open series of competitions started last week, with Iddy Hussein Madina winning arguably the most dramatic Johnnie Walker Uganda Ladies Golf Open title in memory. She recovered from playing a wrong ball on no.11 to claw her way back to the top after an inexplicable capitulation by Martha Babirye and Hawa Wanyeche.
Johnnie Walker is the headline sponsor of this 83rd Amateur Open that attracted players from Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, South Sudan and Rwanda.
LIVE SCORES/SCOREBOARD (click)
✳ Uganda Amateur Golf Open Winners since 1932
1932 – H.Davidson (Uganda Golf Club)
1933 – H.Davidson (Uganda Golf Club)
1934 – R.W Hooker (Muthaiga Golf Club)
1935 – J.D Rankine (Uganda Golf Club)
1936 – J.D Rankine (Uganda Golf Clun)
1937 – H. Davidson (Uganda Golf Club)
1938 – R.W Bun (Mombasa Golf Club)
1939 – J.E Higginson
1940 – 1947 NOT HELD
1948 – D. F Stewart (Uganda Golf Club)
1949 – A.Q Roberts (Kitale Golf Club)
1950 – N.C Elwell (Uganda Golf Club)
1951 – N.C Elwell (Mwanza Golf Club)
1952 – J.R Cooke (Uganda Golf Club)
1953 – R.W Hooper (Nairobi Golf Club)
1954 – M.Johnson (Kabalae Golf Club)
1955 – J.R Oglive (Kitale Golf Club)
1956 – J.R Oglive (Kitale Golf Club)
1957 – Ian McAdam (Uganda Golf Club)
1958 – Brian Malone (Uganda Golf Club)
1959 – Ian McAdam (Uganda Golf Club)
1960 – Mike Johnson (Mbale Golf Club)
1961 – Mike Johnson (Mbale Golf Club)
1962 – Mike Johnson (Mbale Golf Club)
1963 – John Higginson (Uganda Golf Club)
1964 – John Higginson (Uganda Golf Club)
1965 – Muhammed Rajab (Nairobi Golf Club)
1966 – John Higginson (Uganda Golf Club)
1967 – I.Pattinson (Dar es Salaam Golf Club)
1968 – G.Burrows (Uganda Golf Club)
1969 – M.Rajab(Nairobi Golf Club)
1970 – M.Couma (Uganda Golf Club)
1971 – J. Kahugu (Sigona Golf Club)
1972 – Ben Okello (Masaka Golf Club)
1973 – Tom Taban (Uganda Golf Club)
1974 – Alex Okodan (Uganda Golf Club)
1975 – Ramathan Kayamba (Uganda Golf Club)
1976 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1977 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1978 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1979 – 1980 – Not held
1981 – Juma Jaffer (Uganda Golf Club)
1982 – Juma Jaffer (Uganda Golf Club)
1983 – Sadi Onito (Uganda Golf Club)
1984 – John Mucheru (Uganda Golf Club)
1985 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1986 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1987 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1988 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1989 – Allan Njoroge (Muthaiga Golf Club)
1990- Dedan Kagonyera (Kabale Golf Club)
1991 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1992 – Juma Jaffer (Uganda Golf Club)
1993 – John Gavin (Uganda Golf Club)
1994 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1995 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1996 – Sadi Onito (Jinja Golf Club)
1997 – Steven Birungi (Uganda Golf Club)
1998 – Steven Birungi (Uganda Golf Club)
1999 – Steven Birungi (Uganda Golf Club)
2000 – Deo Akope (Entebbe Golf Club)
2001 – Deo Akope (Entebbe Golf Club)
2002 – Deo Akope (Entebbe Golf Club)
2003 – Charles Yokwe (Jinja Golf Club)
2004 – David Odhiambo (Nyanza Golf Club)
2005 – Charles Yokwe (Jinja Golf Club)
2006 – Amos Kamya (Entebbe Golf Club)
2007 – Nicholas Rokoine (Muthaiga Golf Club)
2008 – George Olayo (Entebbe Golf Club)
2009 – Peter Ssendaula (Entebbe Golf Club)
2010 – Brian Mwesigwa (Kabale Golf Club)
2011 –Rogers Byaruhanga (Uganda Golf Club)
2012 – Phillip Kasozi (Uganda Golf Club)
2013 – Peter Ssendaula (Entebbe Golf Club)
2014 – Kitata (Entebbe Golf Club)
2015 – Ronald Otile (Tooro Golf Club)
2016 – Ronald Otile (Tooro Golf Club)
2017 – Ronald Rugumayo (Tooro Golf Club)
2018 – Ronald Otile (Tooro Golf Club)
2019 – Daniel Nduva (Nyali Golf and Country Club)
2020 – John Lejirma (Kenya Railway Golf Club)
2021 – Joseph Cwinya-ai (Tooro Golf Club)
2022 – Andrew Ssekibejja (Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa Club)
2023 – Godfrey Nsubuga ( Mehta club)
2024 – JOSEPH REAGAN AKENA (Mehta club)
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